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Alright on Wednesday I happened to total my E39 530i. The same night I found an M3 that has a loan on it from Navy Federal. The guy is only asking to pay off his loan and the car will be mine. $8400 is how much he is asking, he says he is the second owner, no accidents, and the car is pretty darn clean for being 10 years old. He is not around the car atm but I have seen it in person and rode in it. Waiting for him to come back in town to get the VIN and review all the paperwork and get the PPI done at the dealership. It has 111k miles on it, coupe, and SMG transmission. What should I look for and tell me if you need any info. The car should be mine if we want to go through with it by the end of the month(when he gets his next car)

I would be weary of the SMG transmissions... personally it seems very in depth and prefer the reliability / easier fixability of a standard 6MT. but people who have had SMG's should definitley provide you with their inputs

Only thing is the hydraulic components, but they are just like brakes. Only major cost failure item is the SMG pump. But, while they do fail, I don't think that it is all that common. Remember, online you hear more about problems than no problems. I know of about 5 longer term SMG M3s without any problems. None of the cars I know personally have had any problems.

I have a 2002 M3 SMG with 59k on it. The car is rock solid. Every car is going to have its own set of issues. **** if you can get this car checked out and it comes back fine. Buy it and enjoy. I personally like the smg option its fun to drive.